Department for Transport was warned over Main Line contract

Dft was reportedly warned of flaws in the bid process five days before it awarded contract to FirstGroup

The Department for Transport was warned of flaws in the bid process for the West Coast Main Line rail franchise in a report handed to it five days before it awarded the contract to FirstGroup, says The Daily Telegraph. The report was commissioned from the finance advisers Europa Partners by Virgin, which was already concerned how the level of risk in the bids was being evaluated. Europa consultant Rupert Darwall said: "The language was very clear that this was a flawed process and it set out how to address those flaws. It was a document designed to help."